Khulna-Satkhira Waterlogging
Major road links still remain disrupted
People take the costly and risky ride on rickshaw vans and boats to cross the flooded portion of Satkhira-Khulna road from Mirzapur to Noapara in Tala upazila as the two and a half kilometre stretch of the important road has remained waterlogged since flash floods hit the area in early August. Photo: STAR
Vehicular movement on Khulna-Satkhira and Khulna-Paikgachha roads still remains disrupted due to the waterlogging following flash floods that hit Khulna, Satkhira and Jessore districts in August. Movement of all modes of transports from Khulna city to Paikgachha upazila has remained suspended since August 9 this year as over 40 kilometre stretch of the 75-kilometre route are still under knee-deep water, reports our Khulna correspondent. And so, people have to take risky ride on boats and rented motorbikes for travelling from Khulna to Paikgachha and Koira upazilas of the district. Suspension of plying of buses and trucks also disturbs supply of fishes, vegetables and other essential goods, causing price hike of the daily necessities, said Paikgachha upazila parishad Chairman Md Rashiduzzaman. He expressed grave concern for delay in taking positive moves at the state level to free Khulna-Paikgachha route from waterlogging. Transport services on Khulna-Satkhira route has remained suspended since first week of August as several points of the important route are still under water, said Dipak Sarker, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in Khulna. Transport on Khulna-Satkhira and Khulna-Paikgachha routes will resume after removal of waterlogging, he said. "Siltation in Kobadak River and erection of unauthorised structures and dykes and creation of shrimp enclosures on its banks cause obstruction to the flow of water leading to serious waterlogging," said ABM Shafiqul Islam, president of Khulna Water Committee. Our Satkhira correspondent adds: The direct road link between Satkhira and Khulna has remained cut off since August 2 as about 2.5 km stretch of road from Mirzapur to Noapara in Tala upazila is under three to four feet water due to overflowing of Kabodak River. Commuters on are to depend on boats, trolleys or rickshaw vans to cross the area. Students using the road to go to their educational institutions are the worst sufferers. Transport of goods is also hampered as trucks cannot ply the road in the inundated area. At least 227 villages in 12 unions under Tala upazila have remained inundated and about 2,50,000 people living on the banks of the silted Kabodak River have remained marooned as the water is yet to recede. The government sanctioned Tk over 17 crore to reconstruct the damaged road in 2009-10 financial year but the work is yet to complete due to alleged negligence of the authorities concerned. "Reconstruction work of the road is being delayed due to the waterlogging caused by overflowing of Kobadak River and incessant rain," said Md Abdur Rahim, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department at Satkhira.
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